Inspiration?

[Bodrighy]

Yes thanks Duncan. I am curious regarding how people approach the things that they make. At present for example I am looking a lot at pottery, different shapes and styles that work. I am not really into measuring as some people do but I want to try and develop an 'eye' for good design. Like you I tend to put wood on one side if I can't immediately get some idea of what to do with it. If I just want to turn for the sake of it I tend to do a load of T lights or weed pots and play with shapes and form to see what happens.

I find that generally people seem to fall into two categories judgeing by the responses, those who have something in mind that has been inspired by someone else and those who get their inspiration from the wood itself. I was / am the latter but find that if I want develop my skills I need to be more of the former.

Pete

 

[wizer]

Reading these posts has prompted me think about how I will plan for what I make. I have seen lots of things that I want to mimmick (copy). But whilst at Blister's last week he asked me what shape I wanted the bowl we were making. errr BLANK. Dunno. So he gave me a pencil and paper. Nope still blank. I can't draw for toffee. I'm hoping that initially I'll be able to form pleasing shapes just be shaping the wood 'freestyle'. Inspecting\improving as I go.

 

[TEP]

All my turning is planned out before I go to the lathe. Even the batches of 'light pulls' I make. I can't remember the last time I put a piece of wood on the lathe and 'let it speak to me'. I found that as my skills increased, I would plan the project, either in my head. Or more likely these days as a scribble on a piece of paper. There is always the odd design which fails, but I have found them a lot less if planned before hand. At least it is really easy to change the shape on paper.

My inspirations come from reading, and browsing other web sites, and occasionally from a totally unrelated sight/object which takes my fancy.

I also believe that if you always 'let the wood speak to you' you will have a lesser chance of turning out something you can be really proud of. You can always adapt a idea as you go, but in my view you must have some idea before you even touch it with a chisel.

I'm sorry to say it but a lot of turners don't practice tool control, and usually end up with a 'that'll do' at the end. If you want that 'WOW!' factor in the finished piece you must know where your tool is going, and what it is doing, and making the shapes you want. Not what it wants to give you.

 

[duncanh]

If forgot another area of inspiration - I'm lucky enough to live in a city with some decent art galleries and museums. My favourite gallery regularly has a lot of ceramic, glass and bronze work and I often get ideas when walking round. It's also a good place to visit as they always have wood turnings on sale.

Also - I try to keep a note book with me at all times in case inspiration strikes

 

[big soft moose]

I'm a big fan of Mark Hancock's work .

yep me too - it was an article about mark in woodworking magazine in 2000 that inspired me to spend my then redundancy money on a lathe and tools

I still havent managed to make one of those swirly things like in marks avatar tho- I have serious problems getting the wall thickness the same - or otherwise i bugger things up when it comes to the cutting.

what i'd really like to do (an idea conceived in 2000 when reading said article in fact) is to make one but convert it into a halogen uplighter.

 

[Philip Streeting]

Thanks for the couple of mentions in this thread. I have stopped writing for a while having spent much of my time since early December compiling research etc for the series of articles. Some of you may be aware that I am opinionated about woodturning in the UK. It seems some (not here) can’t separate help from criticism. After a while this becomes disheartening so I need to return to some creative work to recharge my batteries and enthusiasm. The next article Design Elements and Principles, when it eventually appears will include some positive methods to help understand proportion etc and will include some proportional grids to help aid a visual rather than a mathematical appreciation of form.

Many of the comments in this thread seem to me to be about confidence. Confidence with tools as Tam says and confidence about the knowledge of the wood being selected for a particular task, it’s qualities, potential problems and the likelihood of being able to achieve a desired outcome. Like most turners I have the same issues when, however well I have planned my outcome, a disaster or semi-disaster strikes. Momentary lapses of concentration, tool dig in, fault in the wood, etc can get in the way of best-laid plans. Try to see some of these occurrences as design opportunities as well as frustrations and accept them as part of a continuing learning curve. In other words inspiration can also come from errors.

Remember when you go to sites or look in books that we are only seeing successful outcomes. Professionals make mistakes too – we seldom see them and make the assumption that their work is perfect every time and become frustrated that we can’t immediately achieve their level of excellence. Be patient with yourself and consistent in your approach to learning and appreciate that as much effort has to go into thought and developing an ‘eye’ for design as goes into learning practical and technical matters.

I suffer frustrations too, because of my background and training, ideas come easy to me but my technical skills don’t match my visions – the reverse almost of what most writers seem to be expressing here. Life’s a bitch I think is the saying!

Phil

 

[Philip Streeting]

Big Soft Moose - it might be worth looking at LED lighting sources too. Less heat and less likelihood of affecting the surrounding wood. They come in nice sympathetic round configurations too.

Phil

 

[Philip Streeting]

Wizer - who persuaded you that you can't draw? Have a look for 'Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain' by Betty Edwards. It might persuade you that you are wrong.

Phil

 

[Jenx]

That IS a great little book ... I bought it about 10 years ago, and within minutes, was drawing 'fairly acceptable' pencil-line' cartoons, where previously, it was the 'matchstick man' like you see in a game of 'hangman'.

never kept it up, but thats a great little reminder... something well worth a 're-visit'.


I'd looked at it as part of a 'right brain' ( intuitive part as opposed to 'left-brain logic ) crusade I was on at the time.
Conventional life tends to 'knock the imagination' out of us at an early age.. " stop looking out the window and daydreaming, boy ! " types of experiences one gets at an early age.
'Life' tends to suppress all 'right brain' activity.. and its a pity that happens. But, its not irreversible ... you can easily re-kickstart the right hemisphere of the brain with a little practice.
( and some utterly astounding results... but that is a whole other "barrel of monkeys" :wink: )

 

[Mark Hancock]

Thanks for the couple of mentions in this thread. I have stopped writing for a while having spent much of my time since early December compiling research etc for the series of articles. Some of you may be aware that I am opinionated about woodturning in the UK. It seems some (not here) can’t separate help from criticism. After a while this becomes disheartening so I need to return to some creative work to recharge my batteries and enthusiasm. The next article Design Elements and Principles, when it eventually appears will include some positive methods to help understand proportion etc and will include some proportional grids to help aid a visual rather than a mathematical appreciation of form.

Phil

Phil

Don't leave us hanging on for too long for the next article. :wink: It'll also be great to see what the battery recharge creates

 

[wizer]

Thanks Philip, I may just have a look at that book. I guess I have never tried to draw. I'm generally hopeless at many things tho.

Incidentally I missed you off my inspiring turners list. I love your articles and the work you have shown. It will take me a very long time to get up to this kind of standard. I hope that one day I can look at something I have created with the same sort of appreciation as I do yours.

 

[user 5053]

I get my inspiration from nature such as egg, acorn, fruit, boulder shapes, waves, elipses, plants etc. Also I love architectural and geometric shapes such as bridges domes etc. Love viaducts such as Ribblehead. Great fan of sculpture such as Hans Arp, Barbara Hepworth, Tony Cragg, Anish Kapoor and Henry Moor. I like my work to be as tactile as possible because I know that as soon as someone has picked a piece up that has tactile and sculptural elements it is as good as sold.
I feel it is important to get around galleries, shops, museums etc. London is the best place because it it the worlds epicentre for design and style.
But I find an idea or inspiration can come at any time and it is important to write it down or record it because it is easy to forget it. May you all have lots of inspiring moments.

 

[wizer]

I cant work you out Soulfly. I wish you would interact with the forum instead of just making statements. Are you shy? We'd all love to see your work. What's the point in coming here if all your going to do is impose your views on us?

 

[big soft moose]

London is the best place because it it the worlds epicentre for design and style.

I wonder if anyone has told Paris , New York and Milan

perhaps you could post some pics of your work as i'm sure we'd all love to see , and perhaps even be inspired by, your creations

 

[Bodrighy]

I have to say that as far as turning is concerned there are dedicated galleries in the States and Australia but I don't know of any in this country. Some of the pros may know of some. I have bookmarked a load of galleries for examples and most of thm are in the States where turning seems to have a much higher profile. Clasic example is the Del Mano where turning is very much part of the exhibition

Pete

 

[wizer]

Perhaps there aren't as many people like Mark, Mark, George, Philip, etc that do this sort of thing over here?

 

[Bodrighy]

Check out some of these:-

Gregory Moreton, Nick Agar, Nick Arnull, Stuart Mortimer, Chris Stott, Mark Baker, Bob Chapman, Pail Loseby, Paul Hannaby.....the list goes on. We aren't short of brilliant turners.

Pete

 

[wizer]

Cheers Pete, that'll keep me busy on google

 

[Philip Streeting]

Wizer, given your like for all things Japanese you might enjoy this link if you haven't already come across it. Others might like to see fine craftsmanship too in areas other than and as well as wood. I return here often to remind myself how much I have to learn.
Phil

http://www.nihon-kogeikai.com/KOKUHO-E.html

 

[pete honeyman]

I came across a book called 500 Wood Bowls (lark publishing) the other day in Borders - that has a fabulous range of ideas in it. Also a Taschen book on Scandinavian Design, and a book called Beautiful Things that I found in TK Maxx. The latter is drawn from www.guild.com which again has some amazing things on it, not just wood, the glass bowls particularly have got me thinking.